Why Ethiopia
Ethiopia was never durably colonised, and that is audible everywhere: its calendar has thirteen months and runs seven to eight years behind the Gregorian, its days begin at dawn and not at midnight, its Orthodox Christianity goes back to the fourth century.
The eleven churches of Lalibela, carved in a single block out of the rock in the twelfth century, are World Heritage listed and remain active places of worship. The Danakil Depression drops to a hundred millimetres below sea level and is among the hottest inhabited places on the planet.
Getting around
Ethiopian Airlines applies a substantial discount on domestic flights to passengers who arrived on its international flights. That entirely changes the budget of a northern circuit.
Selam and Sky coaches link the major cities. The roads are long, and the tracks of the Simien and the Danakil require a 4x4 and a driver.
Money
The country is cheap, but exchange is a subject: the birr is hard to withdraw and foreign cards are little accepted outside the large hotels of Addis Ababa.
Site entry fees and compulsory guides — Lalibela, Simien, Danakil — weigh more than accommodation.
Before you go
The security situation is very uneven by region: Tigray, Amhara and part of Oromia have seen recent conflict and are subject to restrictive advice. Check travel advice by region, not for the country as a whole.
The Danakil is visited only in an organised convoy with an escort, and the heat there regularly exceeds fifty degrees. It is not an ordinary excursion.
The local calendar matters for appointments and festivals: Christmas is celebrated on 7 January, New Year on 11 September. Always confirm whether a date is given in the Ethiopian or the Gregorian calendar.